1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a working apparatus. The working apparatus of the present invention is provided with trace means, which traces the outer surface of industrial component having complicated shape such as worm gear, which has been manufactured by any working machine through cutting work, die casting, injection molding, punching press, lost-wax casting, die forging, etc., (hereinafter, such industrial components will be collectively referred to as “work”), so that the trace means may trace the optimum shape of work, for the purpose of deburring or chamfering of such work. The working apparatus of the present invention is also provided with working means for working on the surface of the work, and with work hold and rotation means which rotates the work by keeping the position of the work.
2. Description of the Related Art
When the work has been manufactured by any working machine, through cutting work, die casting, injection molding, punching press, lost-wax casting, or die forging, there would occur unnecessary “burr” on the outer edge of the work. After manufacturing of the work, the burr should be removed (deburred) by flexible tool such as brushing wheel, wire wheel, etc., in order to finish as the final product.
Also, when the chamfering should be applied to the work surface according to the outer shape of the work, or when the end surface of the work should be finished at a predetermined precision standard, then any cutting tool such as end mill, rotary bur or chamfer cutter would be used for chamfering or finishing of the work.
However, such kind of working machine would move the cutting tool based on predetermined trajectory information obtained by a model work, thus the same and stereotypical cutting work would be applied to every work.
In addition, when the above trajectory information is set, a great number of programming points should be set along the outer shape of the model work, and the corresponding great number of coordinate axes should be obtained. This would require heavy workload and long processing time.
In the light of the above circumstances, the applicant invented and filed patent applications regarding “tracing working apparatus” as disclosed in Patent Document 1, as well as “working apparatus” as disclosed in Patent Document 2, as shown below. These inventions would present low-price working machines, capable of carrying out a desired working without requiring any complicated control, and without requiring data input and save of complicated trajectory information.
[Patent Document 1] Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 5-200655.
[Patent Document 2] Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 11-197930.
However, the working apparatus as disclosed above would have several problems. For example, FIG. 15 is a side view of a worm gear, shown as an example of a work W. There is a tooth 201 formed in the helicoid shape, and burr would occur on a top end A and a bottom end B. When the above working machine is used for removing the burr, a peak 203 of the tooth 201 adjacent thereto would become an obstacle for deburring, and trace means cannot be in contact with the work W.
According to the working machine as discussed above, the work W is held by a work chuck in an upright state, and the rotation axis of the work W is always in the vertical direction. Thus, when the trace means positioned above the work W approaches to be in contact with the work W, the top end A at the upper position of the work W, or the peak 203 of the tooth 201 at the bottom end B, would become obstacles, and the trace means cannot be in contact with a valley 205 of the tooth 201 positioned below the peak 203. Consequently, it is very difficult to carry out chamfering and finishing of the work W, such as the worm gear, by using conventional working machine as discussed above.